Privacy

Policy Statement
General Principles
Why we collect your information
What personal information we collect
Technical information
How we collect your information
Purposes for which we use or disclose you information
How you can access and correct your information
How we protect your information
Making a privacy complaint
Contact us
Commonly used words

 

Policy Statement

From 29 June 2022, Custom Plates (CP Services Victoria Pty Ltd ABN 16 657 005 439 as trustee for the Victorian CP Services Trust ABN 72 128 511 730) has provided Custom Plates Services (‘CP Services’) on behalf of the Secretary of the Department of Transport and Planning. VicRoads values and is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how VicRoads handles your personal information (including sensitive information) and health information when you interact with Custom Plates Services.

This policy supports VicRoads’ need to collect, use, store and disclose personal and health information, and the right of the individual to privacy. It ensures that VicRoads can collect personal information and health information necessary for its services and functions, whilst recognising the right of individuals to have their information handled in ways they would reasonably expect and in accordance with the law.

This policy applies to all VicRoads employees, customers, contractors and third parties whose personal information and/or health information may be held by VicRoads.

We will update this Privacy Policy from time to time and we recommend you check the version date each time you visit this page.

Our ‘commonly used words’ section explains what these hyperlinked words (in blue) mean.

Accessibility

 

If you would like to receive a copy of this Privacy Policy in an accessible format, such as large print or audio, telephone or email, contact 13 11 71 or [email protected].

 

 

General Principles

VicRoads handles your information in accordance with the:

As VicRoads is a corporate entity, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy Principles also apply. This includes when we collect and handle tax file numbers for registration and licensing services, and for corporate functions. Further information can be found on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website. 

 

Why we collect your information

VicRoads collects, uses, stores and discloses a range of personal and health information for the purposes of providing custom plates services on behalf of the Department of Transport and Planning in accordance with the Road Safety Act 1986 (Vic).

To find out how the Department of Transport and Planning uses and manages personal information, please refer to their privacy statement on their website.

Custom Plates Services’ functions and activities include:

  • fulfilling statutory and legal functions under the Road Safety Act 1986 and its regulations
  • the sale of registration number rights and customised number plates
  • stakeholder engagement and community participation
  • compliance with reporting requirements, including to the Department of Transport and Planning
  • assisting in the development of policy, legislation, and regulations
  • investigating incidents or defending any legal claims against Custom Plates Services Pty Ltd, R&L Services Victoria Pty Ltd or the Department of Transport and Planning
  • development of new non-statutory digital services and products to the Victorian community.

The Department of Transport and Planning continues to have oversight of all statutory and regulatory function and activities undertaken by VicRoads on its behalf. Data collected and accessed by VicRoads in performing registration and licensing services is subject to the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014, the Health Records Act 2010 and the security requirements that apply to the Department of Transport and Planning.

 

What personal information we collect

We only collect personal information if it is necessary for us to provide or carry out our functions and activities. VicRoads does not collect sensitive information or health information through Vplates.com.au

Examples of information collected

When purchasing registration number rights and customised number plates, VicRoads collects personal information about you, including your full name, address, phone number and payment information.

Information collected from the purchase of registration number rights

We collect your personal details to process your purchase of registration number rights and to provide you with customised plates. Your personal information may be used for the purposes of manufacturing, assigning, cancelling, transferring, replacing, or seizing registration number rights and/or registration number plates, in accordance with the Road Safety Act and its corresponding regulations.

Your personal information is used to maintain a register of motor vehicles and to regulate the use of motor vehicles in a way that promotes safety and legal compliance. The register provides a method of establishing the identity of each motor vehicle and the person who is responsible for it.

Drivers licence information

VicRoads collects your driver license information to validate your identity against the VicRoads’ Driver Licence System, and to register your registration number rights. 

Credit card information

We may collect your credit card information to process a payment. Credit card information collected by us will be held in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). The PCI-DSS is a set of requirements for enhancing payment account data security, including requirements for secure network and systems, cardholder data protection, vulnerability management program, access control measures, network monitoring and testing and information security policies.

Feedback

Your correspondence (including email) or complaints made to VicRoads may include personal information and may be accessed by our staff or the Department of Transport and Planning to contact you to resolve your query or compliant.

Copies of correspondence and applicable responses may be retained by VicRoads for certain periods of time, in accordance with the Public Records Act 1973 (Public Records Act) and other applicable legislation.

Competitions

From time to time, we run customer competitions in partnership with our corporate partners. We only collect personal information reasonably necessary to allow us to run a competition and to contact any winner(s) of the competition. We may share the personal details of a winner with our corporate partner(s) to allow the delivery of a winning prize.

Market Research and Customer Experience Surveys

From time to time, we may conduct market research to better understand our customers and to develop new and improved products. We will notify you any time we propose to collect or use your personal information for marketing purposes. In some instances, we may engage third parties to conduct research on our behalf.

Registering on social media sites

Custom Plates has a presence on the following social media sites:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Snapchat
  • Spotify
  • Google Reviews

From time to time, we may expand our presence to other social media platforms. When you join or register with our social media sites, we will only use the information to perform our functions or activities. Any personal information collected via social media will be handled appropriately and in line with our privacy policy. We will not send your details to any third parties unless compelled by law to do so. However, social media sites’ have their own terms of use and privacy conditions and may collect your personal information for their own purposes.

 

Technical information

We collect technical information through the use of click stream data for statistical purposes. We also use Cookies and Web Beacons to assess website usage. This helps us to better understand user trends and allows us to improve our website, its contents, and your experience of the website.

We do not use web analytics data to identify you, by linking it with any other personal information that we collect about you, unless we are required to do so by law, and only in accordance with Privacy Laws. For example, a law enforcement agency may exercise its legal authority to inspect our website server records.

Anonymity online

You are not able to opt out of the automatic collection of information on our website, but you may choose to delete individual cookies or disable cookies. Disabling cookies will impact on your ability to browse and download information contained on the website.

You may still engage with or contact us on 1300 660 417 or [email protected].

Click stream data

When you visit our online services, including some of our social networking sites, VicRoads makes a record of your visit. The following information, referred to as ‘click stream data’ in computer language, is logged by our server:

  • your server address
  • your top level domain name (for example, .com, .gov, .au, .uk, etc)
  • the date and time you visited our website or completed the online transaction
  • the pages you accessed and documents you downloaded
  • the type of browser you are using
  • search terms used
  • your device type
  • the address of the referring site (that is, the previous site you visited).

All this information is collected for statistical purposes to enable us to assess the number of visitors to the different sections of our site, determine what information is most and least used and help us make our site more useful to visitors.

We do not actively seek to identify you. However, in the unlikely event of an investigation, a law enforcement agency may exercise a warrant to inspect our server’s logs.

Use of cookies

When you visit our website, our server may generate a cookie. A cookie is a small piece of information (a text file) that a web server can place temporarily on your hard drive or web browser. It is used by your browser to identify the pages that you have visited on our site.

A cookie is uniquely yours and can only be read by the server that gave it to you.

We use cookies to understand site usage and to improve the content and usability of our sites. We do not use cookies to collect personal information. Cookies, alone, do not reveal your email address or other personal information. You choose to provide this information by, for example, registering at our site. The information you provide may be linked to the data stored in the cookie.

Use of web beacons

Our site uses Web Beacons.

A web beacon is a tiny graphic image placed on a site or email which can monitor customer behaviour. The type of information collected might include the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that retrieved the image, the time the web beacon was viewed and for how long, the type of browser that retrieved the image, previously set cookie values and button clicks on a website.

This information will be used for targeted marketing and for creation of a similar audience or look-alike audience for the marketing of existing and new products.

Web beacons are also known as Web bugs, pixel tags or clear GIFs.

Embedded videos

We use YouTube as the hosting site for embedded videos.

Security of electronic transmissions

We take reasonable steps to secure the information transmitted to our online services. However, the nature of electronic transmissions is such that there is the possibility that a third party may observe this information whilst it is in transit. You may prefer to provide information by telephone, regular mail or in person.

External Links

When accessing external links provided on our site, it is recommended that you read the site-owner’s privacy statement before disclosing your personal information. We do not accept responsibility for inappropriate use, collection, storage or disclosure of your personal information outside of our site.

Mailing List

By signing up to our mailing list, you consent for us to share your full name and email address with third parties to enable us to send you customised emails, including news, advertisement, offers and promotions.

From time to time, we may send you emails about the opportunity to join competitions or market surveys, delivered in partnership with third parties.

 

How we collect your information

VicRoads only collects your personal information by lawful and fair means, and by methods that are not unreasonably intrusive. Where it is reasonable and practicable to do, we will only collect personal information about you directly from you. When VicRoads collects your information directly, we will provide you with a collection notice. This explains the purposes of the collection and how we handle your information.

  • Why the information is being collected (including the purpose for the collection and any relevant laws requiring the collection)
  • Who the information may be disclosed to
  • The consequences if you do not disclose the information
  • How you may contact us and gain access to the information collection.

 

Purposes for which we use or disclose you information

Some examples of when we may disclose personal information include:

  • To the manufacturer of number plates to enable the delivery of number plates to your nominated address
  • In delivering our customer service and fulfilling our functions, including for quality assurance purposes, training, and purposes to improve our services
  • When it is required or authorised by law, including the Road Safety Act
  • It will prevent or lessen serious and imminent harm to someone’s life or health or threat to public health and safety
  • It is a necessary part of internal investigation following a complaint
  • Data sharing or data integration with other Victorian or Commonwealth Government agencies, including but not limited to, the Department of Transport and Planning
  • For the purpose of research conducted in the public interest
  • For the purposes of law enforcement activities or investigations.

We use and disclose your personal and sensitive information for:

  • The primary purpose for which it was collected; or
  • A purpose related to that for which it was collected (‘secondary purpose’ where the legislative requirements for using or disclosing for a secondary purpose are met.

The information collected may be shared within VicRoads to enable efficient and effective delivery of quality services.

We may also share your information with the Department of Transport and Planning or other entities (government entities, councils, or law enforcement agencies) if authorised to do so under Part 7B of the Road Safety Act 1986 (Vic) (Road Safety Act), the Privacy & Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) (PDP Act), and other relevant Acts.

In limited circumstances allowed by law, we may transfer your personal information to another person or organisation.

Privacy Impact Assessments

In the case of any proposed new use of personal information, we may prepare a Privacy Impact Assessment to ensure that the proposed new use is consistent with the privacy rights of people affected.

Unique Identifiers

VicRoads will only assign unique identifiers to you if it is necessary to do so, including where it enables VicRoads to carry out its functions efficiently. For example, VicRoads assigns unique identifiers to driver's licences and registrations. We take special care when assigning unique identifiers as they attract a higher level of protection under the privacy laws.

VicRoads may also assign individual identifiers to help us communicate with you, such as when we need to respond to a complaint, enquiry, or other general correspondence.  

Data release

Some data relating to vehicle registration, vehicle safety and driver licensing is publicly accessible. VicRoads and the Department of Transport and Planning are encouraged to make data available to the public as open data when possible. Datasets containing personal information are not suitable for open data releases. 

Occasionally, VicRoads or Department of Transport and Planning may seek to anonymise a dataset containing personal information so that it is suitable for data release. 

National Driver License Facial Recognition Solution

Driver licence and permit information from every state and territory is being shared with the Commonwealth as part of the National Driver Licence Facial Recognition Solution (NDLFRS). VicRoads has legal authority to share this information for this purpose under Part 7B of the Road Safety Act 1986. Data and images from driver licences and permits, along with associated biographic information, may be used to confirm your identity and to identify unknown persons. Only certain agencies will be able to access the face matching services (FMS), which employs facial recognition technology for approved purposes and under strict conditions.

Some uses of the FMS will occur when a customer needs to verify their identity when requesting a service (e.g. when applying for a Centrelink entitlement). This will be done with the customer’s consent and will provide a quick and easy way for agencies to verify the authenticity of a government-issued credential presented as identification, such as a driver licence. Law enforcement agencies will also be able to access the FMS for investigation purposes. For example, police may submit an image of a suspect to the FMS to check if that person holds a government issued credential to assist with identifying that person.

More information about the NDLFRS is available on the Victorian Government website (External link).

National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System

The National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System exchanges information about vehicles and driver licenses across state borders, enabling road authorities to interact across state borders. The National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System provides information to public and private sector organisations to facilitate provenance checking on vehicles, matching of biographic details on licenses and assists motor insurance underwriting, vehicle safety recalls and police in identifying stolen vehicles. For more information, please visit NEVDIS’ website.

Information transferred outside of Victoria

VicRoads adhere to the requirements of Victorian legislation or Commonwealth legislation when transferring information outside of Victoria and Australia. Your personal information may only be transferred to another jurisdiction if the purpose of the transfer is allowed under enabling jurisdiction (such as, Part 7B of the Road safety Act 1986 for interstate law enforcement), or you consent to the transfer of personal information, and the recipient jurisdiction offers equivalent privacy protection to Victoria.

 

How you can access and correct your information

We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information and health information we collect is accurate, complete and up to date.

You are entitled to contact the VicRoads Privacy and Information Access Team and request access to, and correction of, any of your personal information or health information held by us. We will take all reasonable steps to correct and update any of your personal information or health information that is found to be inaccurate, incomplete, or not up to date or provide a written statement if such a request is refused. For example, we may not give you access where in doing so would pose a serious and imminent threat to life or health, would unreasonably impact on the privacy of others or where the information would otherwise be exempt from disclosure by law.

In responding to your request, we may consult with the Department of Transport and Planning in relation to access and correction of information. The Department of Transport and Planning may also contact VicRoads about complaints, access, or correction requests it receives, and VicRoads will cooperate with these requests.

Please contact the VicRoads Privacy and Information Access team if you:

  • want to have access to the personal information (if any) that we hold about you
  • want to know more about what sort of information we hold, for what purposes and how we deal with that information
  • believe that the personal information that we hold about you is not accurate, complete, and up to date
  • have concerns about your privacy rights.

Email: [email protected]

Call: 13 11 71

Post: VicRoads R&L Services Privacy & Information Access, PO Box 632, Collins St West VIC 8007

Freedom of Information Requests

VicRoads is not authorised to receive or process information requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). Any Freedom of Information request may be directed to the Department of Transport and Planning Manager Privacy and Information Access at the Department of Transport and Planning at [email protected]

 

How we protect your information

VicRoads has a Security Management Framework which establishes, articulates, supports, and promotes its security governance arrangements across VicRoads. We comply with the Victorian Protective Data Security Framework and VPDSS, which provides standards to Victorian public sector agencies or bodies on their data security obligations. These measures are designed to protect your information from misuse, loss and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure.

Specifically, VicRoads:

  • implements people, process, and technology-based safeguards to protect your information from unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure
  • In the case of any proposed new use of personal information, we may prepare a Privacy Impact Assessment to ensure that the proposed new use is consistent with the privacy rights of people affected
  • uses consistent identification and assessment criteria for the lifecycle of information that we hold
  • ensures adequate tracking of its exposure to information security risks
  • has internal policies which authorise and manage the sharing and release of information
  • ensures that all VicRoads staff members and contractors understand the importance of information security and their obligations in protecting personal information, through awareness and training
  • ensures that your information is protected when it is provided to a third party who conducts work on behalf of VicRoads.
  • ensures a consistent approach for managing information security incidents, in accordance with Privacy Legislation. For example, all security incidents involving personal information must be reported in a timely manner to VicRoads privacy team and in some instances, reported to the Department of Transport and Planning and the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner and/or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

VicRoads takes reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify personal information if it is no longer needed for any purpose, or as otherwise required by the Public Records Act and the Road Safety Act.

Unique Identifiers

When you apply for and purchase registration number rights, the registration number is assigned to you and uniquely identifies you as the registered owner of thos rights. 

VicRoads may also assign individual identifiers to help us communicate with you, as when we need to respond to a complaint, enquiry, or correspondence

Anonymity

We respect your choice to remain anonymous and you may interact anonymously with us where it is lawful and practicable for you to do so. However, we may not be able to provide information, deal with a complaint or perform our functions unless we can identify you. For example, you are required to provide personal information if you wish to purchase registration number rights. Failure to provide information may result in your application not being processed, or records not being properly maintained.

Storage

The personal information that you provide to us is matched with our records and is stored and updated on the Vehicle Registration Information System and Driver Licence System.  Registration and Licencing information are owned by, and accessible to, the Department of Transport and Planning.

We keep and maintain registration and licencing records in accordance with the Public Records Act 1973 (Vic) (Public Records Act).

 

Making a privacy complaint

You may make a complaint about a potential privacy incident (breach) by contacting [email protected].

We undertake to resolve privacy complaints and breaches in a timely and fair manner.

If you have provided feedback to us, but you are not happy with our response or handling of the matter, you may also complain to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

If your complaint relates to a contravention of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014, you will need to contact Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner.

If your complaint relates to a contravention of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), you will need to contact the Office of Australian Information Commissioner.

If your complaint relates to a contravention of the Health Records Act 2001, you will need to contact the Health Complaints Commissioner.

Non-compliance with this policy

Suspected breaches of this privacy policy can be reported to the VicRoads Privacy and Information Access team at [email protected] and will be investigated as required. 

 

Contact us

Email: [email protected]

Call: 13 11 71

Post: VicRoads R&L Services Privacy & Information Access, PO Box 632, Collins St West VIC 8007

 

Commonly used words

In this Privacy Policy:

contractors mean third party individuals or companies who provide goods or services to VicRoads

handle means to collect, hold, manage, use, disclose or transfer information

health information means identifying personal information about an individual that is defined in s 3 of the HR Act as 'health information'.  It includes information or an opinion about:

  • the physical or mental health, or disability, of an individual
  • an individual's expressed wishes about the future provision of health services to him or her, or
  • the nature of health services that have been, or are to be, provided to an individual.

    It also includes:

  • other personal information originally collected in the course of providing a health service to an individual
  • personal information collected in connection with the donation of human tissue by an individual, and
  • genetic information that is or could be predictive of the health of an individual or their descendants.

In this policy, personal information refers collectively to personal information and sensitive information, unless otherwise specified. VicRoads does not collect sensitive information or health information through Vplates.com.au.

personal information is defined in the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 as information or an opinion that is recorded in any form and whether true or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained, from the information or opinion, but does not include health information. Examples of personal information are your name, date of birth, address, financial details, marital status, education and employment history. Under the Privacy Act 1988, ‘personal information’ means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable whether the information or opinion is true or not, and whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not.

In this policy, personal information refers collectively to personal information and sensitive information, unless otherwise specified.

privacy laws means the PDP Act, HR Act and, if applicable, the Privacy Act.

sensitive information is defined in Schedule 1 of the IPPs and means personal information about an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions or membership of a political association, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, membership of a professional trade union or trade association, sexual preferences or practices, or criminal record. 

website means the https://vplates.com.au website operated by VicRoads and includes the subdomains of the Website.